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Ultra-rare BMW R7 reborn

Published:
08 May 2019

NMoto BMW R7 concept

NMoto BMW R7 concept throttle

NMoto BMW R7 concept clocks

The radical BMW R7, an art deco-styled, one-off concept machine built by the Bavarian marque in 1934 but which never went into production, has been fastidiously recreated by Florida custom house NMoto. Based on an R nineT, the ‘Nostaligia’ is coming to Europe and is available to order now - for £30,000.

The R7 was built to show the world what BMW’s engineers were capable of. The idea was for a range-topping superbike, so the designers wrapped it in aerodynamic bodywork, raised the cylinders for better ground clearance and fitted a set of telescopic forks – a world first for motorcycling.

But it never saw the light of day and was eventually dismantled and hidden away until 2005 when it was restored by BMW before going on display in BMW’s museum in Munich in 2007.

With the ‘Nostalgia’, NMoto attempted to build a tribute bike that shared the beauty of the original but with the performance and reliability of a modern machine. An R nineT was chosen as its base then almost entirely dismantled.

A new set of aluminium bodywork was built, within which is a 12-litre fuel tank, with the filler just poking out of the middle of the fairing. All the electrics were stripped and integrated into the bike’s framework with retro switchgear.

Ignition is now keyless but the steering lock as well as the clocks are integrated into the headlight nacelle, just like the original. The airbox has been removed and replaced with a pair of individual filters, while the exhaust is now a custom 2:2 with a pair of art deco fishtails. The single seat is adjustable while all the standard electrics still function as usual, including ABS.

If you’d like to see the Nostalgia in the flesh, NMoto are taking it to the Villa Erba Concorso di Motocicletta, Italy, on May 25-26, 2019, Wheels & Waves, France, June 13-16, 2019 and BMW Motorrad Days in Germany in July 2019.